SI Picks Lions to Win Super Bowl, But How Often Are They Right?

The Detroit Lions are on the cover of Sports Illustrated heading into the 2024-25 season, and the longstanding sports publication has picked the Lions as favorites to win Super Bowl 59. But, how often have the experts at Sports Illustrated correctly predicted the Super Bowl champion?

How Often Have the Experts at Sports Illustrated Successfully Picked the Super Bowl Winner?

According to Ahmad Garnett of the Detroit Free Press, Sports Illustrated has only once picked the correct Super Bowl winner over the past 24 years. Their sole correct pick was in 2004, when they picked the New England Patriots to go all the way, which they did. But, when it comes to predicting teams to make it to the Super Bowl, Sports Illustrated has fared better. They’ve correctly picked one of two teams to make it to the big game five other times since 2000, and in total, the outlet has correctly selected six teams that reached the Super Bowl since 2000.

Sports Illustrated’s pick for the 2023-24 season was quite off, as they had the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals making it to the Super Bowl and the Eagles pulling off the win. Instead, the final game had the Kansas City Chiefs beating the San Francisco 49ers.

Sports Illustrated Goes Inside the Lions’ Rise to the Top

In addition to picking the Lions to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy, the Sports Illustrated cover story goes into some backstory of the Lions’ run from the bottom of the league to the top.

In the feature, franchise quarterback Jared Goff discussed what it was like getting traded from the Los Angeles Rams to the Detroit Lions and how much it meant to him to have the Lions’ coaching staff excited to have him on the squad.

“I hadn’t felt that way in quite some time,” Goff said in the interview. He added that it was different from how his career ended with the Rams and said to himself, “We have a chance to do something special here. Is it going to be easy? No. Going to happen? For sure? No.” But, Goff thought that “at least they, had a chance.”

Also in the feature, head coach Dan Campbell discussed how much he leans on his players, including kingpins such as Goff, to make the team stronger.

“Any team I’ve ever been a part of that had success—I mean, real success—leadership really came from the players,” Campbell said.

Expectations Are High for the Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are considered one of the strongest teams going into the new season following the team’s Cinderella run for the 2023-24 season, which wrapped up in January with a heartbreaking NFC championship loss to the San Francisco 49ers in California. ESPN’s NFL Power Rankings, released August 19th, have the Lions as the No. 4 best team in the NFL.

The Detroit Lions are one of only four teams that have never made it to a Super Bowl. If Sports Illustrated’s prediction is correct, then Lions fans better start booking a ticket to New Orleans.

The Lions open their regular season Sunday, September 8, at home against the Los Angeles Rams.

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